Unusually, Jimmy wasn’t with me in the Lakes this weekend. Unusually, most of the weekend was booked up with things other than SOTA. The weather was all over the place on the Saturday anyway.
After a hearty Sunday breakfast, I met with Marc G0AZS just off Junction 37 of the M6. Lambrigg Fell was chosen as a suitably straightforward debut LD for Marc that could be bagged before the weather returned to the previous day’s tantrums, and the M6 clogged up with the Blackpool daytrippers on their way home.
Lambrigg Fell is a gimmee. It isn’t quite a “drive-on”, but the walking is easy with only minimal distance and ascent to be covered. Having said that, Marc and I were both surprised with how far away from, and how high above the car we were once we reached the summit. The summit is grassy and featureless, other than a high dry stone wall running across its crest.
Marc set up his wire with the PFR-3, but found 40m to be in poor shape. I had a rare run out on 2m FM with the SOTA Beam, and included a S2S with Dick MW0EIQ/P on Moel y Gamelin GW/NW-042. Later I had a go on 15m CW, getting just two contacts, while Marc went over onto 2m FM. Finally, I tried 40m CW, which was still quiet, but perhaps a little bit better than when Marc tried.
A pleasant natter on the short descent, which then continued on mobile radio for a time on the M6, concluded an enjoyable joint activation. And no soup to be seen!
Anyway it was tough going on HF yesterday but thanks to all callers (especially the S2S with OK1DDQ/P) and to those who called on 2m FM too.
I did use the same HF station today on Wendover Woods and had no problems on 40m. I even managed a QSO on 20m for five minutes with a station in Pennsylvania so it must have been conditions yesterday that were down. …or maybe it’s true that “It’s Grim Up North” (Name the band)
…and thanks to Tom for an enjoyable day and accompanying me on my first LD activation.
Conditions were definitely down. Possibly even weird. 15m CW was alive with contest activity when I got up at 6.30am BST. There wasn’t a peep on it at 8.30am, and on LD-046 I managed just two QSOs.
No, the sky was broken on Sunday. Initially I found 7MHz CW to be full of signals but in the 25minutes I was on things got quieter and quieter. By the time I finished there were hardly any CW stations to be found.
In reply to MM0FMF:
I thought it was just me!
Switched on a new HF amp for testing and couldn’t find anybody to talk to on the low bands at all on Sunday. A bit of frantic plugging and un-plugging followed by a call to a mate with a BIG aerial soon confirmed that yes Andy, you had broken it.
40 is in better shape this morning thankfully.
Tim
G4YTD
